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I was sitting at my computer this morning seeking inspiration for an article. Most days, there is an event in the news that sparks an idea, or like with the Supreme Court ruling this week, there is an obvious story waiting to be written. This morning though, I was drawing a complete blank.
At the moment that I was about to walk away from my keyboard, an email from a friend popped up. After a quick read about the business information contained, I sat back and thought about the impact of the information and how it was the perfect subject to write about. Contained in the email was news of a new service being offered to promoters of an internet marketing venture that we are involved with. An American entrepreneur identified a need, then created a service to meet the need and profit from the idea and the effort.
Here is the background:
Most of our business revolves around the internet; our livelihood is dependent upon being connected. A new venture we are involved with requires daily participation in the global promotion of a company. In exchange for our small investment of time daily, we share in the company’s daily revenues. Failure to uphold our obligation means that we are not qualified to participate in that day’s profits. To those of us involved, this can mean the loss of tens, hundreds, or thousands of dollars in one day. Not being connected for one day is like not showing up for work; we don’t get paid.
Back to this morning’s email. A sharp entrepreneur is marketing their newly found company to people like me. For a small monthly fee, the company will step in and handle the daily mechanics of our business in case we are out of town or away from our computer for the day. The monthly fee is quite reasonable and will allow us to be away from the computer for a couple of days without panicking about the lost revenue.
This article is not about our business venture (although I will share it with you if you send an email to jack@mywtfblog.com), but about the endless opportunities that exist in this country for anyone with an open mind and the desire to succeed.
One entrepreneur who recognized a need, then acted upon the realization of this need, has created a business to fill that need. Will the business succeed and grow? Will it be around in ten years? Will it have been worth the effort put in by the entrepreneur? My answer: it does not matter. The point is that one moment of thought, and the willingness to take a risk, was all that was required to have the chance at success.
This concept is at the core of my definition of the American Spirit and is responsible for America becoming the economic leader of the world. One person with an idea and the willingness to put forth the effort, can create a small business or an entire industry. There are no limits to the opportunities available to every person in our country. I have no idea if the owner of the service I spoke of is a man or a woman, old or young, black or white,is rich or poor, has a high school diploma or a masters degree, is gay or straight, likes dogs, or believes in alien abductions; it really does not matter.
Therein is the message of this morning’s article: America is the land of endless opportunities for those who believe it to be so. It can also be a barren wasteland of despair for those who have allowed others to convinced them otherwise. Each of us has the freedom to chose which version is right for them.
by Jack Woodward 6/30/12
Jack-
That is exactly the beauty of the American dream. We are all endowed with an imagination. It doesn’t matter how big or small the solution is. If each American will create a solution to a small problem/issue, each one can achieve the American Dream. It might be as simple as the fellow who was too short to reach the ceiling light switch, so devised a chain or cord with which he could toggle said switch without getting on a ladder…. a person for whom I (a somewhat vertically challenged individual who hates heights) say a word of thanks for several times a day… and you know the ceiling light/fan folks paid handsomely for the idea… NOT rocket science, but a real-life solution to a (seemingly) unimportant problem.